Classmates remember world at war
On May 29 members of the class of 1944 will celebrate the 60th anniversary of their graduation from Peabody High School. They will get together at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and reminiscing at Arletta's Catering in Burns.
The class remembers that on May 26, 1944, the 36 members met upstairs in the PHS study hall to prepare for a long walk down the hall and down the east stairway, trying to keep in step as Mr. Brown had requested.
Gwen Gaines remembers the night.
"When we arrived at the auditorium doors we saw a packed house with all our family and friends. Somehow we managed to go down the aisles and up onto the stage.
"The speaker was Phog Allen, head basketball coach at KU. No one can remember what he said, but we all remember what he did.
"After thanking everyone for inviting him to speak, he turned his back to the audience and spoke directly to us. He said the future we were facing was a terrible one with World War II raging in Europe and Japan."
The class has lost seven members: Bob Landis (killed in Korea), Betty Robinson Hiebert, Stanley Stovall, Bob Yoder, Joe Morris, Ralph Schultz, and Charles Gibbs.
The remaining members look forward to getting together again May 29 and remembering their years at Peabody High School.
